Speaking to ESPN FC, Nicol insisted that the Dutchman had moved on from his previous excuse of it being part of the process of his philosophy that he was trying to instil at the club which he had spoken about at great length last season and at the start of this year.

However, now it has moved on to a question of personnel with Van Gaal insisting that if he had either Luis Suarez or Sergio Aguero, then his side wouldn’t have such a problem, as reported by BBC Sport.

Regardless of what the former Ajax boss says, the fact remains that United have scored just 20 goals in 15 games so far this season and that is significantly less than any other side in the top six in the league standings.

Their goalless draw with West Ham United on Saturday afternoon drew the ire of the Old Trafford faithful, as it added to their frustration following the shutout against PSV in the Champions League last month while the club have now scored just six goals in their last nine outings in all competitions.

It is unlikely that Van Gaal will change his mentality or methods regarding the way United play, and so it remains to be seen whether or not they bring better performances and results or if the Dutchman may be forced to exit the club for not achieving certain objectives.

Although United face a decisive clash against Wolfsburg in the Champions League this week, they remain just three points adrift of Premier League leaders Leicester City.

In turn, there isn’t too much negativity around results, but the amount of goals must improve if Van Gaal wishes to keep everyone at the club happy.